Putin lays out demands for peace in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday afternoon and laid out the precise conditions for a peace deal with Ukraine.

According to Erdogan’s leading advisor Ibrahim Kalin, the Kremlin’s demands of Kyiv appear to be similar to what have been previously asked – but also include “face-saving” elements” for the Russian side, Fox News reported.

As expected, the principal demand remains that Ukraine should be neutral and provide legal promises to Russia that it will not join NATO – something President Zelensky has already agreed to. Putin has also demanded that Ukraine undergo a disarmament process, implement protections for the Russian language in Ukraine and undertake a de-Nazification process.

But Putin is also reportedly asking to for a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky to negotiate demands which Ukrainian officials have previously been opposed to – namely the future of the territories which have broken away from Ukraine in the eastern Donbas region.

The report states that it is “assumed” Putin will demand that Zelensky give up territory in the east and formally recognize Crimea – which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 – is a part of the Russian Federation.

Turkey’s report of Putin’s willingness to negotiate for peace in Ukraine comes as his invasion enters its fourth week and reports of dwindling morale amongst his forces are ever growing.

Reports from the U.S. Department of Defense show that Russian forces have been stalling out in their advance and Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby acknowledged some “anecdotal indications” that morale “is not high in some units.”

"Some of that is, we believe, a function of poor leadership, lack of information that the troops are getting about their mission and objectives, and I think disillusionment from being resisted as fiercely as they have been," Kirby explained. "But, again, I want to stress that these are anecdotal accounts." 

"While we’re confident in what we’re picking up, we would not apply that to the entire force that Russia has put into Ukraine," he added. 

Although reports over the past week have indicated that Russian advances towards Kyiv have slowed, U.S. officials continue to warn that all signs indicate that the forces intend to conduct a siege of the Ukrainian capital city.